LAHORE, Feb 23: PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain has said the Punjab government is spending Rs30 million daily on the publication of advertisements against Malik Riaz Husain on account of his character assassination and personal enmity.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, Shujaat said this money was allocated for welfare of the people, but misused to defame Bahria Town.He said: `Malik Riaz is running hospitals in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. These are providing free dialysis, kidney transplants, hepatitis and other treatment free of charges; about 100,000 people are provided with free meals twice a day and if anyone wants to see what arrangements are made for providing food to the needy, he can go and see Bahria Dastarkhwan in front of PIMS Hospital in Islamabad.

Shujaat said there were more wealthy people also in the country than MalikRiaz but none of them bothered to get Pakistanis held hostage by Somali pirates for six months released. It was Malik Riaz who paid Rs130 million ransom to get fellow Pakistanis freed.

`Bahria Town is the only housing colony where there is no electricity loadshedding nor watchmen are required to be hired for security,` he said.

He said the Punjab government was trying to harm reputation of Malik Riaz for personal interest and using public money.